Aboriginal Australians and Charles Perkins

All these events attracted the international media. The world wasn’t happy with the discrimination in Australia against Aborigines. Many people compared Australia as the deep southern of United States in the way as aborigines were treated. The international diffusion was one important step to return rights to Aborigines. Australian government felt world’s pressure and they started to care about aboriginal rights. Another very significant thing that happened was a change in more Aboriginal people attitude, before they always said that the only thing that you never had to tell a white as response was a no, but thanks to the freedom rights, they started to say no to discrimination. They started to defend themselves.

Those actions were important to have an improvement in Aboriginal people rights. First, there was that change of attitude in Aborigines. If someone is being oppressed, and he doesn’t do anything to claim his rights, he will never get them back. That’s why it was a first step to find an end to that conflict; Charles Perkins was the first pacifist and aboriginal voice against discrimination. By the other hand all the international media was focused in Australia’s events. All this facts had as result the creation of the 1967 referendum. The 1967 referendum had very important advances.  The federal government had the power to change and make laws to support Aboriginal Australians; they had more legal freedom to support them.

In conclusion, that movement was very important to make an improvement of aborigines civil rights. It was start of a new ‘era’ for aborigines. That movement still has effect in our times. The problem is that it wasn’t enough to finish with all discrimination, and many Aboriginal aren’t receiving all their rights. For example, Australians have a higher life’s expectancy than aborigines, but it should be the same, because aborigines are Australians, they live in the same country and they should have the same opportunities. That is just the start to find a solution for aboriginal people.